‘Work stress gave me cancer'

Cath Jones’ life was the definition of stressful.

As head teacher of a 300-pupil school, an inordinate amount of responsibility fell on her shoulders.

Budget cuts, staffing issues, the care and education of all her students, the demands of the local authority, even a leaking classroom roof.

‘I’d describe it as climbing Everest in flip-flops,’ Cath says.

‘It got to the point where I was so stressed I was barely sleeping, yet exhausted.

My husband, Dave, 56, warned me I couldn’t carry on like that. Something was bound to break.’

Cath worked evenings and weekends in an attempt to catch up with her workload, every spare moment spent at the computer.

She was a heavy smoker and her diet was poor.

‘I’d skip breakfast, relying on coffee to power me through the morning,’ Cath says.

‘I spent the rest of the day eating starchy carbs – cheese baguettes, pasta, garlic bread…’

Desperate to claw back control of at least one area of her life, Cath went on the 1-2-1 Cambridge Weight Plan diet, which cut out all the stodge and saw her enjoy soups, salads and shakes instead.

In the summer of 2012, she went from 16st and a size 20 to 11st and a size eight.

‘If I hadn’t lost weight, I never would have found the lump in my right breast,’ Cath says.

‘It would have been hiding under fat.’

Discovery

Cath found the lump while in the bath in December 2012.

Within days, it had become tender to the touch.

At work, Cath could feel the walnut-sized lump press against her arm as she typed.

She was referred to the breast cancer centre in Llandough, and diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.

‘I had a grade four triple negative tumour,’ Cath says.

‘It was fast growing, unresponsive to hormone treatment, but statistically good at responding to chemotherapy.

'I was devastated.

'I’d been told what my treatment plan would be, but while I waited for it to start, I actually returned to work.

'I was on autopilot.’

While on a training course about pupil literacy, emails were flying into Cath’s inbox about the cost of fixing the school’s roof.

‘And it suddenly hit me.

'I had cancer.

'What was I doing trying to spin all these plates at the school?

'I made a decision there and then to think about me, at least until I was through treatment.’

Cath went home in tears, terrified about her diagnosis and what it might mean for her life and career.

‘I was so full of fear.

'I had no idea what lay ahead.’

Weeks before the diagnosis, Cath and Dave had welcomed puppy Beau into their lives.

With Cath working long hours and Dave busy in his career with the prison service, the plan was supposed to be that Beau would spend his days at the doggy day care centre near Cath’s school.

Cancer put paid to that.

‘Beau was Dave’s 50th birthday present.

'After my diagnosis, he became my chemo buddy,’ says Cath.

'‘I had an operation to remove the tumour and lymph nodes and started chemotherapy.

'Beau was the best medicine.

'He got me through those sick, horrible days.

'He gave me a reason to get up, and no matter how awful I felt, I wanted to make his life good.

'We’d walk together every day, and when I was exhausted, he’d lie calmly beside me, giving cuddles.’

In August 2013 treatment finished.

Cath’s cancer tested negative for the BRCA faulty genes, which meant the biggest contributing factor was the stress hormone cortisol.

‘When my consultant told me that, everything changed.'

I had planned to return to work, but it was a no brainer – I could not carry on with my career,’ Cath says.

‘I asked myself what I wanted to do with my life.

'I only knew I wanted Beau by my side.’

That’s when Cath set up Jangles Home Boarding & Day Care for dogs.

‘Beau’s still with me and we’ve since added another three dogs to our family – Mac, Joe and Eddie.

'Mac and Joe are pointers like Beau, but Eddie is a pug.

'We were inspired to get a pug thanks to one of our regular customers, Frank.

'Frank the pug is hilarious.

'I’ve been looking after him since he was a puppy and he brings me so much joy.

'Frank and Eddie are a mischievous double act – they are the Chuckle Brothers of the dog world!’

Team Work

When Dave was medically retired three years ago after he needed two fingers amputated, he decided to join his wife.

‘Dave is in charge of day care.

'You can, by law, leave dogs for up to three hours unsupervised in boarding and day care centres, but we decided not to do that,’ Cath says.

‘People are paying us to look after their dogs, so we do.

'I used to work 80 hours a week and it was literally killing me.

'Now, I probably “work” more hours, but it doesn’t feel like a job, because I’m having fun, doing something I love, outdoors.

'I stop and take photos of clouds, or get down on my knees to investigate some interesting fungi.

'I’m not on a treadmill, forever trying to keep up with someone else’s deadlines.’

Dog owners are more likely to live longer, healthier lives, according to a 2017 study of more than 3.4 million people.

The Swedish study revealed dog owners had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and other causes, than those who did not own a dog, even after adjusting for factors such as smoking.

Other studies have shown stroking a furry animal can boost oxytocin levels, the hormone responsible for decreasing blood pressure, boosting immunity and lowering stress.

‘It’s absolutely true,’ Cath says.

‘When I’m with the dogs, I can actually feel a calmness come over me.

'Every evening, there’s a queue of dogs waiting to climb onto my lap.

'They love quality time, but I think it works both ways.’

Never Been Happier

Cath’s lifestyle has been transformed.

‘These days, I’m up with the lark, because Eddie demands attention from 5am.

'At 8am I take the first six dogs walking.

'I come home for porridge, then in the afternoon I take another set of dogs out.

'Finally, I’ll take elderly dogs or puppies on their solo walks.

'Years ago, a few steps left me breathless.

'Now, my Fitbit tells me I average 25,000 steps a day and I set myself a challenge of walking 100km a week,’ Cath says.

‘Cancer was horrendous, I’m not glad I got cancer, but if it hadn’t happened, I don’t think I’d even be alive now.

'The stress of my old life would have finished me off.

'Every day, come rain or shine, I feel grateful.

'My office is the bridle paths and woodlands of Caerphilly and instead of fielding emails, I notice the way the light dances on the trees in the early morning.

'Even stomping through mud in the pouring rain, I’ve never been happier.

'I haven’t worn a suit in years! I sleep soundly, I feel amazing, I have zero stress in my life, just a lot of boundlessly energetic dogs who think puddles and bluebells are the greatest adventures in the world.’